Wow! We already have Scrapbook Generation's spring retreat (March 14-16) in Branson filled! We also have already started a waiting list, and I encourage you to go ahead and sign up for that if you are at all interested. Knowing everyone's busy lives, it's a good bet that at least a few people will have to cancel once we get past the holidays.

You can't imagine how great that makes us feel, to have found the perfect spot in Branson for our retreats! Our first two retreat locations were good, but not perfect. After the first retreat (not enough cropping room) and the second one (not-so-great food), we were just about to despair of finding the right place for our group. But I think it was pretty much a unanimous verdict that the Branson Inn was just what we had been looking for.

We'll just host one retreat in the spring, but we've already got the place booked for two fall retreats, so we'll be back in Branson in 2008 for retreats the weekends of October 3-5 and 24-26 (for those of you who really like to plan ahead)!

Other news...
-- This was the first day that Ali has been back "at work" at SG since Drew was born! It's nice to have her here one day a week to help out, and I can't wait to hear about Drew's first day of daycare! He's at a place with four or five other two-year-olds, so I can only imagine how much fun he'll have...once he gets that sharing thing down pat.

-- Flair's two new Christmas groups arrived today, and they once again feature their traditional colors of reds, greens, creams, and golds.

-- Jan Whitney, one of our Saturday "regulars," is the winner of the scrapbooking gift basket we gave away at our third anniversary hoopla last weekend.

-- Some of you know the situation that has evolved over the past year with my two cousins. The latest news is that Monica (the older sister who became paralyzed from the neck down a little over a year ago) will finally be going home to North Little Rock after almost 10 months in the Craig Rehabilitation Center in Denver. Leslie (the younger sister who gave up her 20-year-old cross stitch and framing business in Bolivar to be by Monica's side the entire time) just left Denver this weekend and is awaiting Monica's arrival by air-evac transport. Leslie's husband Bob is already there, and was able to find a job in the framing department at Hobby Lobby. Leslie has had to learn to care for Monica and her needs, and I know that the first few days of being totally in charge, with no medical backup on hand, will be stressful for everyone. However, Monica has wonderful support from her church, Park Hill Baptist in NLR, and from her friends. Monica and Leslie have both maintained an almost unbelievably strong faith in God's plan for their lives, no matter how difficult the past year has been. Every time I start to get frustrated at problems in my own life, I have only to think of them and their cheerful spirits. What a sermon they are preaching with their lives!